Process of reducing garbage and sewage.



No- 829,954. PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906. E. R. EDSON. PROCESS OF REDUCING GARBAGE AND SEWAGE.

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APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1904.

l/VVE/VTOR I w? 014.), By 7 v Afro/mu No. 829,954. PATENTED SEPT. 4:, 1906, E. R. EDSON. PROCESS OF REDUCING GARBAGE AND SEWAGE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28. 1904.

- 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

swam/m5 duce garbage and sewage-with facility and including the drier and the lower portion of paratus suitable for use in carrying out my ed garbage or sewage from the digester into EUGENE RILEY EDSON,

PATENT oEEIoE;

OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

PROCESS OF REDUCING GARBAGE A ND sEwAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1906.

Application filed May 28, 1904. Serial No. 210.196-

To all whom it may concern: 1 Be it known that I, EUGENE RILEY ED: soN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State'of Ohio, have invented certainnew and useful Improved Processes of Reducing Garbage and Sewage; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved process of reducing garbage and sewage.

One object of this invention is to so treat garbage and sewage that the material is thoroughly cooked or digested and disintegrated without ebullition that substantially all of the oily or greasy matter contained in the mass is renderedrfree to be separated from the remainder of the mass by percolation after rendering the cooked or di ested mass substantially non-aqueous an that the residue is left in the 'most desirable condition for use as a fertilizer.

Another object of this invention is to reinexpensively.

With these objects in view my invention preferably consists in the reduction of garbage or sewage. by cookingor diges'tin the material in a closed receptacle heate by. steam under a gage-pressure of about sixty pounds per 5 uare inch for a period of from eight to ten ours and under a pneumatic pressure of seventy pounds or more per square inch, and thereby prevent the liberation or separation of free ammonia from the nitrogenous material being treated and prevent also a vaporizing of glycerin.

The accompanying drawings illustrate apimproved process, and referring to the said drawings, Figure l is a side elevation, largely in central section, of the upper portion of apparatus, including the digester, and the upper portion of the valved passage-way provided for conducting cooked or digestthe; drying chamber of a drier. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, largel in central section, of the lower portion 0 the said apparatus,

the aforesaid passage-way. Fig. 3 is'a side employed in extracting oil from the material removed from the drier. Portions are broken away in the drawings to reduce the size of the drawings.

. Apparatus suitable for use in carrying out my improved process comprises a digester illustrated in Fig. l of the drawings, and ref ferring to this figure, A designates a cylindrical upright metallic receptacle in-which garba e-or sewage which is to be reduced is cookec l or digested, The receptacle A is shaped at its lower end to form a downwardlydischargin opening or outl? 5 for the chamber a of the receptacle, Whi h outlet has an upwardly-flaring mouth 6.

The receptacle A forms also the inner side wall of the chamber b of the steam-j acket' of the rece tacle. The outer side wall 'of the metal shell B, which of course extends around the receptacle A and is enough larger than the'said receptacle to form the chamber 1;. The shell B is provided at its lower end with a suitably-applied stuffing-box 22, which surrounds the surrounding wall 8 of the outlet 5 of the digester and forms a fluid-tight joint around the said Wall, and the chamber 10, which is formed in the upper portion of the said wall, is openat its upper end and communicates Wit and forms a downward extension ofthe jacket-chamber b. A drainpipe D communicates with the chamber 10, and is provided with a normally closedvalve d. The shell B is provided also with a steampipe O,-Which communicates with the chamber b and is employed to conduct steam into the said chamber. with a valve 0.

A head G is instrumental in closing the u per end of the chamber a and rests upon tne upper end of the receptacle A. The head G is removably secured to the receptacle A by bolts or screws 17. The joint between the head G and the receptacle A is rendered fluid-tight in any approved manner.

The lower portion of the jacket-forming shell B is provided externally with an annular flange 23, arran ed to rest upon the framework or structure if, from which the digester is supported. The shell Bis provided at its upper end and externally with an annular flange 26. The receptacle A is suspended from the upper end of the jacket-forming shell B and provided at its upper end and ex The pipe Ois provided I which is formed in and centrally of the lower aperture g, through which the garbage or sewage which is to be reduced is fed to the The drum J is provided at the bottom with a v head cates with the chamber a the said chamber.

the surrounding wall of the chamber a is prosac,

ternally with an annular flange 18, which rests upon the upper end of the said jacket-forming shell and extends over the flange 26 of the said shell, to which flange the receptacle A is shown removably secured by bolts F and.

nuts f. The bolts F extend through the flanges 18 and 26 and are arran ed with their heads at the under side of the flange 26, and

the nuts f are mounted upon the shanks of the bolts at the upper side of the flange 18.

The head G consists in the main of an iron casting. A heating-drum J, which is arranged vertically and centrally of the chamber a, is suspended from the said head.

An air-conducting pipe L is arranged centrally of and extends longitudinally throu h the drum J and through the head G, snug/ l fitting and extending through the hole 36, i

head of the drum. The pipe L is provided below the drum J with laterally-discharging orifices or outlets 37. The joints formed where the pipe L extends through the head G and throu h the lower head of the drum J are rendere fluid-tight in any approved manner. For instance, the pipe L extends: throu h a stuflin -b0x m with which the a is provider? The pipe L is provided above the head G with a normally closed valve Z. The head G is provided also with an air-conducting pipe R, which discharges into the chamber a at the to of the said chamber and is provided wit a normally closed valve r. The pipes L and R are connected and communicate with an air-supply pipe P in common. The pipe P communicates with the outlet of a suitably-operated and suitably-supported air-pump ,Q,'-whose inlet is in cor'nmunicati on with the external atmosphere The headG is provided at one side of the drum J with an upwardly-flanged chargingchamber a, and a suitably-applied cover 27 is employed for closing the said aperture. he aperture-g is large enough transversely to serve as a manhole. s

A water-sup ly ipe W, which is provided with a normal y c osed valve w, communiat the upper end of The upper ortion of the drum J is pro vided with a ateral port 38, which communicates with the chamber of the drum J, and

vided opposite the port 38.with a port 40, which communicates with the jacket-chamber 12. A suitably-applied pipe I establishes communication between the ports 38 and 40.

port 42, and the surrounding wall of the mouth 6 of the outlet 5 of the receptacle A is provided a suitable. distance below the said port with a port 43, which communicates with the jacket-chamber b, and a sinuous copper pipe N, suitably attached to the'said drum and to the said receptacle, is arranged to establish communication between the ports 42 and 43. i 4

" Avalve-casingT is arranged below the outlet 5 of the digester, with the chamber t of the valve-casing communicating at the up er end of the valve-casing with the said out et. The valve-casing T is secured at its upper end to the digester. The valve-casing T is provided with a slide-valve V, which controls the discharge of material through the valvecasing chamber L from the outlet 5 of the digester.

A suitable distance below the digester is arranged a drier, which, as shown in Fig. 2, comprises a steam-jacketed receptacle. A

valved steam-pipe 50 and a valved drainpipe 52 communicates with the chamber of the steam-jacket of the drier at the top and bottom, respectively, of the drierf A shafts is arranged centrally of the drying-chamber 55 of the drier and extends horizontally through the said chamber.' The shaft 8 is supported from the end walls of the chamber 55 and is provided exteriorly of the said chamber with a driving-wheel 56, to which power is applied in any approved manner. The shaft 8 is provided within the dryingchamber with radial arms 57, instrumental in stirring material treated within the said chamber durin the operation of the shaft.

gester with a char ihg-aperture 58, through which the materia which is to'be rendered -The top wall 0 the drying-chamber is pro- 3 vided vertically below the outlet 5 of the di substantially non-a ueous within. the drier is 4 fed to the said cham er.

A valve-casing U rests upon the drier around the aperture 58 and is secured at its lower end to the drier. The chamber u of the valve-casing U communicates at the lower end of the valve-casing with the aperture 58. The valve-casing U is provided with a slide-valve a), which controls the passage of material through the valve-casing chamber at to the drying-chamber 55.

Two telescoping pipes and y are arranged between and directly communicate with the chamber of and are secured to the different valve-casings T and U, respectively." The upper pipe as is secured at its upper end to the lower end of theupper valve-casing T. The lower pipe y is secured at its lower end to the lower valve-casing U. The upper pipe as extends into the lower pipe y, and the arrangement of the partsis such that the two pipes 00 and'y are capable of elon ating or contracting endwise independent y of each other. Thelower pipe y is provided atits upper end and around the upper pipe as with a stuflingbox 74, v The joint between the upper valvecasing T and the digester,-the joint between the lower valvecasingy and the drier, and

with a suitably-operated and suitably supwithin the said chamber, and consequently 'VVhen a pneumatic pressure of at least ten aqueous vapor arlsing from material dried in the drier is permitted to escape from the said chamber. A vapor conducting pipe 78, which is provided with a valve 80, communicates at one end with the vapor-outlet 77 and is in communication at its opposite end ported pump or suction-creating device 82.

An air-conducting pipe 83 communicates at one end with the passage-way formed by the pipes a: and y and is shown suitably attached to the upper pipe-section :r. The pipe 83 is provided with a valve 84 and communicates at its opposite end with the pipe P.

An air-conducting pipe 85 communicates at one end with the vapor-outlet 77 of the drying-chamber and is in communication at its opposite end with the chamber a of the digester at the upper end of the saidchamher. The pipe 85 is supplied with a normally closed valve 86.

In practicing my improved process the garbage or sewage which is to be reduced is introduced into the chamber a of the digester through the charging-aperture 9 upon opening the cover 27, which is thereupon closed. If the material does not contain enough moisture to facilitate disintegration of the same,fthe valve w of the water-supply pipe W is opened to supply the desired additional quantity of moisture to the material, and thereupon the said valve is closed. The garbage or sewage when supplied to the chamher a of the digester is kept in a quiet state before any heating of the said material within the said chamber an adequate pneumatic pressure is established on top of the mass in the said chamber upon operating the pump Q after opening the valve 1* 0f the pipe R.

pounds per square inch greater than the steam-pressure to be employed in heating the digester obtains on the mass within the chamber a the valve 1 is closed and steam is admitted to the jacket-chamber 1) upon opening the valve 0 of the steam-pipe C. Steam under agage-pressure of over forty pounds per square inch is essential. Preferably steam under a gage-pressure of sixty pounds per square inch is employed in heating the digester and contents, and preferably a pneumatic pressure of from seventy-five to eighty 1 pounds per square inch is established upon the mass within the chamber a of the digester before the heating of the material so as not only to prevent or at least materially retard corrosion of the digester preparatory to as well as during the cooking or digesting of the nitrogenous material, but to facilitate the liberation of substantially every particle of grease from the material, to render the dis ntegration of the material rapid, to avoid the liberation or se aration of free .ammonia from the materia and to prevent vaporizing of glycerin. It will be observed, therefore, that the material is cooked or digested for a period of from eight to ten hours. at a temperature of at least 285 Fahrenheit and preferably at a temperature of over 300 Fahrenheit, under a pneumatic pressure of from seventy-five to eighty pounds per square inch to insure an adequate disintegration of the material and a thorough liberation of oily and greasy matter contained in the mass without a separation of ammonia from the nitrogenous material and without permitting a va orizing of glycerin.

' As already in icated, the primary object of this invention is to separate substantially every particle of grease from the material to be reduced and to leave the residue in the most desirable condition for use as a fertilizer.

By myimproved process the freeingof vapors within the digester is practically avoided, and consequently vapors carrying more or less ammonia are prevented from ascending or separating from the nitrogenous material during the treatment ofthe said material, and I remark also that preventing the separation of glycerin from the oily and greasy matter contained in the mass is important because a greater percentage of glycerin in the grease extracted from the ma- :terial renders the grease more valuable.

I would remark also that in heating the digester by steam under a gage-pressure of sixty pounds per square inch glycerin would vaporize and escape from the oily and greasy matter to be separated from the remainder of the mass in the absence of the maintenance upon the mass of a pneumatic pres sure of at least ten pounds per square inch more than the steam-pressure employed; but by employing a ressure of from seventy-five to eighty poun s per square inch on top of the mass in the digester vaporizmg of glycerin within the digester is successfully prevented.

I would remark also that in cooking or di gesting garbage or sewage within a closed steam-heated receptacle at a temperature at least 300 Fahrenheit under a pneumatic 7 pressure of from seventv-iive to eighty pounds per square inch on top of the mass for a period of from eight to ten hours substantially every trace of oily and greasy malter in the material is liberated sufficiently to l in the digester, but to permit all oily and render substantially all of the grease readily separable from the remainder of the mass by percolation'after rendering the grease-bearmg digested mass substantially non-aqueous.

To facilitate the disintegration of the material during the cooking or digesting of the material within the digester, air under pres sure may be admitted into the lower portion of the mass through the pipe L by temporarily operating the air-pump Q and openlng the valve Z. Any excess of air-pressure with in the digester can be relieved upon temporarily opening the valve 29 of the air-outet 28. i

To positively prevent leakage through the valve-casing T into the passa e-way formed by the telescoping pipes at an y and to prevent the air-pressure maintained on top of the mass within the digester from adding to the load upon the valve V, the valve 84 of the pipe 83 is opened and the pump Q operated to pump air into the said passage-way until the pneumatic ressure within the said passage-way equa s the pneumatic pressure upon the mass within t e d gester, and the desired pneumatic'pressure 1n the said passageeway is established preparatory to and maintained during the cooking or digesting of the material.

When the garbage or sewa e undergoing treatment within the digester as been adequately digestedsay for a period of at least eight hours at the temperature and under the pneumatic pressure hereinbefore st ated-the valves V and o are opened to ermit a downward passage of the digeste material from the chamber a of the digester through the passage-way formed by the outlet of the digester, the valve-casing charrrber t, the pipes 90 and y, the valve-casmg chamber 11,, and the charging-aperture 58 of the drying-chamber into the last-mentioned chamber, and enough pneumatic pressure is preferably permitted to remain on the digested mass within the digester during the evacuation of the digester to facilitate thepassage of the digested mass into the drier. a

The valve 86 of the pipe is opened upon opening the slide-valves V and v preparatory to the discharge of the cooked ordigested mass from the digester into the drying-chamber, so as to establish communication during the evacuation of the digester between the drying-chamber and the chamber a of the digester at the top of the said chambers, an

thereby permit a gradual equalizing of airpressures within the said chambers; but of course the valve 86 is kept closed during the operation of the drier as well as during the cooking or digesting of the material within the aforesaid chamber of the digester.

In treating garbage and sewage I prefer not to remove the liberated grease from the mass greasy matter to pass with the remainder of the mass into the drying-chamber 55, wherein the grease is absorbed by or adheres to the fertilizer-forming particles of the digested mass. The digested mass having passed into the drying-ch amber is dried in the said chamber in any approved manner and is stirred by the operation of the shaft 8 during the drying period to facilitate the drying process and to thoroughly and uniformly distribute the grease throughout the mass, so as to facilitate the subsequent separation of the grease from the remainder of the mass by percolation. Upon the passage of the digested material from within the digester into the drying-chamber 55 the valves V and v are closed to prevent any vapor or gases arising within the drying-chamber during the drying period. from ascending into the digester. During the drying period the material is rendered substantially non-aqueous, and the aqueous vapors arising from the mass within the drier are conducted off at the vapor-outlet 77 of the drying chamber. The passage of aqueous vapor from the drying-chamber is facilitated by the operation of the suction-creating device 82.

When the digested mass has been rendered substantially non-aqueous within the dryingchamber, the substantially non-aqueous and igrease-bearing digested material is removed om the drying-chamber through the discharge-outlet 75 of the said chamber upon opening the door 76 and is conveyed to and placed in a percolator wherein the said material is treated with a solventsuch, for instance, as naphtha-to separate the grease from the fertilizer-forming remaining particles of the mass.

' A percolator is illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and referring to this figure, M indicates the normally closed cylindrical tank or receptacle of the percolator. The receptacle M is provided at the top and at one side with a charging-aperture 15, at which the oil-yieldable material removed from the drier is introduced into thesaid receptacle. Theaperture 15 is normally closed by a cover 16. The receptacle M is provided at the bottom and one side witha doorway M, through which the residue remaining in the percolator after the extraction of oil from oil-yieldable mate rial placed in the percolator is removed, which doorway M is normally closed by a suitablyapplied door m. The receptacle M is provided externally with a heating-j acket M A valved pipe m is arranged to supply steam or other heating fluid to the chamber of the jacket M and has its valve m norm allyclosed.

A valved drain-pipe M extends from the lower end of the jacket and has its valve m normally closed. A'pipe e for supplying the naphthaor solvent to the chamber of the rethe said gear.

ceptaclc M is arranged to discharge into the said chamber and has a valve e, which is normally closed. A drain-pipe E is arranged to conduct oil which has been extracted within the receptacle M from the said receptacle. The pipe E is provided with a valve E, which is normally closed. The pipe E extends downwardly from the bottom of the receptacle, and an upwardly-bulging concavo-convex screen or strainer E extends over the oilreceiving end of the pipe E. A shaft 7c is arranged vertically or centrally of the receptacle M and extends from above and near the screen upwardly and through and a suitable distance above the top of the receptacle M. A bevel-gear is is operatively mounted on the shaft is a suitable distance above the top of the receptacle M. The gear it rests upon the upper end of a vertically-arranged tubular guide and shaft-steadying piece 0, which is rigid with the top of the receptacle M and loosely embraces the shaft 1c, and antifrictionballs are interposed between the lower end of the gear 7c and the upper end of the member 0. The shaft k next above the gear is is provided with a collar P, which rests upon A shaft-steadying frame 2, mounted upon and secured to the bottom of the receptacle M and arranged over the screen E loosely embraces and is adapted to steady the shaft 76. The gear, 7c meshes with the bevel inion K, operatively mounted on a suit-ab y-applied shaft K, to which power is applied in any approved manner. The shaft k is provided within the receptacle M with two sets of laterally-projecting and radiallyarranged stirring-arms, with the arms k of one of the sets of arms alternating with the arms k of the other set of arms. The receptacle M- is provided at its upper end with a va or-conducting pipe M which has a suitab y-operated pump or device m adapted when operating to create suction, and thereby esta lish a partial vacuum in the vaporoutlet M and consequently in the chamber of the receptacle M upon opening the normally closed valve M, with which the pipe I M is provided between the said receptacle and the receiving endof the suction-creating device. 1

In operating the percolator the oil-yieldable material removed from the drier issupplied to the chamber of the receptacle M, and the valve e of the solvent-supply pipe e is opened to run the desired quantity of solvent into the said receptacle and closed as soon as the said receptacle has been supplied with the desired quantity of solvent. The oil-yieldable material is treated with the solvent at the ordinary atmospheric temperature, and during the said treatment the shaft k is rotated so as to cause its arms to stir and disintegrate the mass, and thereb facilitate the I extraction of the oil.

When t e oil has been extracted, the valve E of a drain-pipe E is opened to permit the extracted oil to run said pipe. The shaft 7c is operated to revolve its arms k and ktduring the draining period, so as to stir or disintegrate the mass and facilitate the flow of oil to the pipe E. When the extracted oil and solvent mixed therewith has been drained from the material, the valve E is closed and the valve m of the pipe m is opened to permit the' flow of heating agent into the chamber of the acket, so as to heat the receptacle M. Traces of naphtha or volatile solvent remaining with the residue within the receptaclevaporize and escape at the top of the receptacle through the pipe M upon opening the valve l and the pump or suctioncreating device m is o erated to create a partial vacuum within t eupper portion of the receptacle, and thereby draw or pull the vaporized solvent or gases and moisture from the mass through the said pipe, and the shaft is is operated during the vaporizingperiod to stir the mass of material undergoing treatment and facilitate an equal-distribution of the heat throughout the mass and facilitate the escape of gases, vapors, and moisture from the mass. The residue remaining in the receptacle M is removed through the doorway M upon opening the door m.

Portions of the apparatus shown and describedin this application are disclosed and claimed in a contemporaneous application bearing Serial No. 210,197, filed May 28, 1904.

What I claim is 1. A process of reducing garbage and sew-- age, consisting in cooking or digesting the material within a closed steam-heated chamber for a period long enough and at a temperature high enough to thoroughly disintegrate the material and render the-grease readily separable from the remainder of the mass by percolation, with the mass, during the said disintegration of the material, under a pneumatic pressure high enough to prevent vaascending or separating from the material and to prevent vaporizing of glycerin; then drying the digested material to render the mass substantially non-aqueous and stirring the mass during the drying period to distribute the grease throughout the mass, and then treating the dried digested and substantially non-aqueous mass with a solvent.

2. A process of reducing garbage and sewage, comprising a cooking or digesting of the material within a closed chamber, and placing on the mass in the said chamber, preparaa pneumatic pressure high enough to prevent Vapors carrying more or less ammonia from 1 ascending or separating from the nitrogenous tory to the cooking or digesting of the mass,

from within the receptacle M through the pors carrying more or less ammonia from material and to prevent vaporizing of glycerin duringcthe cooking or digesting of the material, and uninterruptedly maintaining the said pneumatic pressure on the mass during the cooking or digesting oi the material.

3. A process of reducing garbage and sewage, consisting in cooking or digesting the material Within a closed chamber for a period long enough and at a temperature high enough to thoroughly disintegrate the material and render the grease readily separable from the remainder of the mass by percolation, with the mass during the disintegration of the material under a pneumatic pressure high enough to prevent the liberation and ascent of ammonia-carrying vapors, then" drying the digested material to render the mass substantially non-aqueous, and then treating the dried digested and substantially non-aqueous mass With a solvent.

4. A process of reducing garbage and sewage comprising a cooking or digesting of the material within a closed chamberat a temperature above 285 Fahrenheit and under a pneumatic pressure of from seventy-five t0 eighty pounds per square inch; .then drying the digested material to render the mass substantially non-aqueous, and then treating the dried digested and substantially non-aqueous mass with a solvent.

In testimony whereof I sign the foregoing specification in the presence of two Witnesses.

EUGENE RILEY EDSON. Witnesses:

C. H. DORER, M. HAYES. 

